Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz revealed on Wednesday that arms sales to Arab countries spiked since the signing of the Abraham Accords in the fall of 2020.
Israeli defense and military officials have held more than 150 meetings with regional allies and signed defense deals worth more than $3 billion since then, reported Ynet.
Meanwhile, Gantz and other senior members of the defense ministry, in addition to Air Force officials, plan to present “Iron Beam”—Israel’s new laser-based missile-defense system—to U.S President Joe Biden during his visit to Israel next week.
Gantz has committed to allocating more than $143 million to complete the system, which could become operational within two years.
In June, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the system could block enemy rockets and drones and cost just $2 per interception.
He stated in a tweet: “If firing a rocket at Israel costs terrorists $20,000” and “intercepting that rocket costs Israel $100,000,” then “what would happen if Israel’s new ‘Iron Beam’ laser system could intercept that rocket at $2 per shot?”
During trials of the new system this spring, the laser shot down unmanned aerial vehicles, mortars, rockets and anti-tank missiles.
